Answered

Sonos Era 300 and Beam (2nd Gen) seem quieter

  • 28 April 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 576 views
S

Hi all, 

 

I recently switched out my old pair of Sonos 1 and Playbase for 2 x Era 300 and Beam (Gen 2). I have a sub which I kept. 


Sadly I didn’t have the width available in my space to buy the Arc. 
 

I was going to use the Era’s as surrounds and they do sound amazing with films (Top Gun especially). However, similar to the other reviews, when listening to music it seemed to not get the full potential of the Eras (as the Beam played the lead speaker role). 
 

I have since moved the Eras into the dining part of the open plan (about 2-3m away) and they sound great! For films I just group the living room and dining room. It’s not perfect but still sounds good and better than Beam alone. 
 

My question is that I find that I have the Eras on far higher volume in the Sonos app to get to ambient sound levels than I did for the Playbase and 2 x Sonos 1. Usually atleast 30+ whereas it used to be 15ish. Then when I want to listen loudly I’m getting to 60+ whereas I don’t think I ever went above 45-50 in my old setup. This is the same even when I put the Beam and 2 Eras together. 
 

I expected the new system would be louder and therefore would usually be lower in the volume settings. 
 

Are other people experiencing this? Or is there something not right with my setup?

 

Thanks 

sam 

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Best answer by Jamie A 1 May 2023, 13:25

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Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Hi @Samuel24, welcome to the Sonos Community!

We don’t design the newer speakers to be louder, but to deliver a better listening experience with a higher quality soundstage. The Sonos One and Era 300 aren’t easy to compare, as the Sonos One has two amplifiers while the Era 300 has six, so with the Era 300 you will be receiving better quality sound overall.

If, going by your initial post, the Era 300’s aren’t in the same location as where you previously had your Sonos Ones, you’ll definitely notice a difference in the volume. Speaker placement can greatly alter the the listening experience, as well as the surface the speakers are on and what objects are around them also affecting this.

It’s possible that the settings for your Playbase and Sonos Ones were previously changed. I’d suggest heading into the surround audio settings in the Sonos app and adjusting the Home Theater settings in there so you don’t have to adjust the volume on the Era 300 as much.

Although if you do think the volume is too low, then I’d recommend reaching out to our support team for further assistance.

I hope this helps!

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